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It's been quite the ride for NCAA College Basketball this season. With so many teams making the jump on AP's Top 25 poll, anticipation for March Madness has only become more intense as we enter the month of February.
With No.1 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs and No. 2 ranked Baylor Bears continuing their dominance as AP's top two undefeated teams, many other program's have made their case to appear on the list as well. In this list, we take a look at 3 teams that surging right now and have started to climb up AP's Top 25 Poll.
Oklahoma Sooners
Despite the Oklahoma Sooners losing 57-52 against Texas Tech on Monday night, Lon Kruger’s team got to move up 15 spots in AP's College Basketball Top 25 poll right before the game was played.
As the reach moves towards March Madness, don't be shocked to see oklahoma Sooners climbing even higher in the rankings. They earned their 9th spot on the list through 3 tough-fought victories against teams ranked in the Top 10.
The Oklahoma Sooners will look to pick things up from where they left off when they face Iowa State on Saturday.
Drake Bulldogs
The Drake Bulldogs (17-0, Missouri Valley 8-0), not a household name when it comes to NCAA power teams, have broken into AP's Top 25 poll, slotting themselves at the No. 25th spot in the latest postings.
The Bulldogs, who are unbeaten so far this season, have taken a huge leap as far as their performance is concerned compared to previous years. Their 25th rank in AP's poll is their highest placement since the 2007-08 season.
In their 1st game after entering AP's Top 25 Poll, the Drake Bulldogs surged past Illinois State in a 95-60 victory. Forward's Shanquan Hemphill and Tremell Murphy came up big in the win, as latter scoring a season-high 30 points and the former chipping in with 18 points.
The Bulldogs will enter their next match against Valparaiso on Saturday and Sunday at 12 p.m. ET.
Ohio State Buckeyes
No. 7 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (14-4, Big 10 8-4) is a team that's been talked about all season. The Buckeyes posed question marks with NCAA College Basketball analysts questioning if the team was really a top contender due to their losses only coming from in-conference.
Despite all the doubts, Ohio State managed to rise up and through gritty performances all season, made its way into AP's Top 10 ranking. The team has been in great form recently, winning a streak of 3 Big-10 conference games in a row, beating Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan State. Good news for the Buckeyes, it appears the team is finally getting the respect they deserve.
Both Liddell and Washington Jr. give this team so much energy on both ends of the floor, which is then promptly transferred to the other players on the court.
The Buckeyes will head out to No. 8 ranked Iowa in fierce NCAA College Basketball ranked matchup on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
The game will be aired on ESPN.
